1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage control device, a storage control method and a program used for an outboard motor. Specifically, the present invention is suitable to be used when operation history information of an internal combustion engine of the outboard motor is written to a nonvolatile memory.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an art is known in which operation history information of an internal combustion engine of an outboard motor is stored at a nonvolatile memory to be used as information for various diagnoses of the internal combustion engine. For example, in an operation state storage device disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is disclosed that information in which a time necessary to be a predetermined rotation number is added with correspond to a time range is stored at the nonvolatile memory in addition to engine rotation speed information, temperature information, and pressure information.
Generally, when the operation history information is stored in the outboard motor permanently providing a battery, it is possible to write the operation history information to the nonvolatile memory by receiving supply of an electric power from the battery even if an ignition switch is turned off.
It is concretely described with reference to a block diagram in FIG. 5 and a flowchart in FIG. 6. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a supposed internal configuration of an outboard motor 50 permanently providing a battery. The outboard motor 50 includes an ECU 60, a battery 61, an ignition switch 62, a main relay 63, an input equipment 64, an output equipment 65, and so on. Besides, the ECU 60 is constituted by including a CPU 71, a RAM 72, an EEPROM 73, a power control circuit 74, and so on.
FIG. 6 is the flowchart illustrating an example of supposed processes when the outboard motor 50 permanently providing the battery stores the operation history information at the EEPROM 73.
In step S601, a boat operator turns on the ignition switch 62, and thereby, an electric power passes through a path of the turned on ignition switch 62 and is supplied from the battery 61 to the CPU 71 via the power control circuit 74.
In step S602, the CPU 71 turns on the main relay 63 as a power holding circuit, and thereby, the electric power passes through a path of the turned on main relay 63 and is constantly supplied from the battery 61 to the CPU 71 via the power control circuit 74.
In step S603, the CPU 71 reads the operation history information already stored at the EEPROM 73. In step S604, the CPU 71 stores the read operation history information at the RAM 72. After that, the CPU 71 is able to drive an engine by driving a starter motor in accordance with a start instruction of the engine by, for example, the boat operator.
In step S605, the CPU 71 judges whether or not an event occurs, and updates the operation history information stored at the RAM 72 in step S606 when the event occurs.
In step S607, the CPU 71 judges whether or not the ignition switch 62 is turned off, and stops the engine in step S608 when the ignition switch 62 is turned off.
In step S609, the CPU 71 writes the operation history information stored at the RAM 72 to the EEPROM 73. At this time, the CPU 71 is able to perform the writing process of the operation history information to the EEPROM 73 even if the ignition switch 62 is turned off and the engine is stopped because the electric power is supplied from the battery 61 to the CPU 71 via the main relay 63 which is turned on.
In step S610, the CPU 71 judges whether or not the process writing the operation history information to the EEPROM 73 is finished, and turns off the main relay 63 in step S611 when it is finished to thereby complete the process storing the operation history information.
As stated above, in the outboard motor where the battery is permanently provided, it is possible for the CPU to perform the process writing the operation history information to the EEPROM by receiving the supply of the electric power from the battery even if the ignition switch is turned off and the engine is stopped. Namely, in the outboard motor where the battery is permanently provided, it is possible to store the operation history information until the engine stops at the EEPROM. Note that there is a limitation in the EEPROM in the number of writing times, and there is a case when, for example, hundreds of thousands of writings may deteriorate reliability, but the number of writing times to the EEPROM is reduced and the reliability of the writing can be secured by collectively writing the operation history information to the EEPROM by using the turning off of the ignition switch as a trigger as in the above-stated flowchart.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2003-120412
However, for example, in a small-sized outboard motor, there is a batteryless outboard motor which does not include the battery. In the batteryless outboard motor as stated above, the CPU generally operates by driving an engine and receiving supply of generated electric power. Accordingly, the CPU is not able to operate after the engine is stopped, and therefore, there is a problem in which the operation history information cannot be written to the EEPROM.
For example, it is conceivable that the operation history information is constantly or regularly written to the EEPROM during the engine is driven to solve the problem as stated above. However, the number of writing times to the EEPROM increases to thereby exceed the limitation, and the write reliability is lowered if the writings are performed constantly or regularly. Besides, it is impossible to write the operation history information to the EEPROM from a final writing until the engine is stopped.
Besides, for example, it is conceivable to add a capacitor and so on to secure a power supply after the engine is stopped to correspond to the above-stated problem. However, there are problems in which it becomes a factor of cost increase of the outboard motor and it is difficult to secure a layout to dispose the capacitor.